Some MPs are probably involved in the abuse of children, an influential Labour backbencher has claimed.

Sarah Champion said it wouldn't take a 'conspiracy theorist' to believe MPs could abuse their power over children.

Credit:

Victor de Jesus

Sarah Champion, who was part of Jeremy Corbyn’s frontbench until August last year, said there was "no way that there aren’t people who are sitting MPs who aren’t involved in some way or another, or a member of their family is".

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse was set up by Theresa May in 2015 when she was still Home Secretary. It followed claims that Westminster politicians were involved in a paedophile ring in the 1970s and 80s.

Asked if parliament would handle such allegations better today, Rotherham MP Ms Champion said: "I don’t know that it would. One in 20 children will have a sexual assault against them. When you look at something inappropriate happening to them that drops dramatically to one in four girls and one in eight boys.

“That might be inappropriate language or made to feel uncomfortable or in a compromising situation – not necessarily being physically groped.

"So, there is no way that there aren’t people who are sitting MPs who aren’t involved in some way or another, or a member of their family is. I mean, that’s just the reality and I know that’s very uncomfortable and no one wants to think about it.”

She added: “Abuse is always about power. For example, take me. I have got the mobile number of the head of South Yorkshire police, the head of Rotherham police, the head of the council, so if I chose to I could call them on a Sunday night and ask them to act - I don’t think that they would - but my alleged victim wouldn’t have that same access. So, you have inherently got a power imbalance.

“It doesn’t take a big leap of faith or a conspiracy theorist to come up with that you could abuse your power.”

Ms Champion has long campaigned to tackle child sexual exploitation following the 2011 grooming scandal in her Rotherham constituency.

But she is now concerned that Theresa May has allowed the issue to “drop off the radar” and is not as committed as Mr Cameron was.

"I do not feel with this government that [tackling child sexual abuse] is a priority at all," she said. "David Cameron got it and I think he got it because I went to him as a dad rather than going to him as a politician.

“And I got him to meet some of the survivors of Rotherham and one of the mums whose child went through it. So, we engaged with him on that level, which is why he then crusaded as a dad, wanting it for other people’s children.”

"Theresa May was great when she was Home Secretary and then as soon as she shifted to PM it’s dropped off the radar. It’s clearly not a priority for them. It’s someone else’s problem.”

The Labour MP is set to launch a new website later this month designed to help parents and professionals deal with online grooming and sexual abuse of children online.

mike.watterson_30341

10:45 on 16th February 2018

mike.watterson_30341

08:12 on 16th February 2018

She`s a right one to talk being the Rotherham MP about child abuse. Under her watch over 1000 females were trafficked and abused by Asian origin youths in Rotherham, so she should practice what she preaches. And by the way, there is no such thing as a Labour MP that is influential. She`s only there for the fat salary plus expenses and has no say in affairs wehatsoever.

das.datics_32011

08:50 on 16th February 2018

The double standards of UK politics are not wasted here. The countries dignitaries are more interested in protecting the rights of the Sharon Shoestrings and themselves than the vulnerable.
They should, quite rightly, be ashamed that people who are trusted, get away with abusing that trust and, though there are law's to deal with them, they need dusting and reapplying with proper scrutiny as to whether they are fit and proper to be a deterrent.
It's important to realise that deviation may not be a voyeuristic mischief, most perverts, if such a thing, are incurable and no ammount of prison or phsychiatric study will change this fact.
The gangs that preyed on the white schoolgirls did so because of at least three points of interest:
1. Their culture teaches them that they are superior to their victims.
2. Their victims are easy prey and there is a financial incentive from pimping.
3. There was no one willing to stop them as the state refused to intervene in the case of the perpetrators being young and the victims were systematically ignored by the trusted officials who chose to believe the criminals.

Keyboard Warrior

12:56 on 16th February 2018

Sarah Champion only became Rotherham MP in 2012 after the scandal was uncovered. FWIW I think she is a good MP and some of the things she has come out with have been quite brave (in the context of the snowflake liberal luvvie left taking over the Labour party). We desperately need more people who are prepared to speak out and do something about this mass systematic abuse by Asian men. The majority of Labour north west MPs have no connection with the area and just see it as a natural career move after spending a few years as a spad.